Fr. Murphy walked into a pub in Donegal, & said to the first man he met, "Do you want to go to heaven?" The man said, "I do, Father." Father said, "Then stand over there against the wall." Fr. Murphy asked another man, "Do you want to go to heaven?" The man replied, "I certainly do, Father." "Then stand over there against the wall."
Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole & said, "Do you want to go to heaven?" O'Toole said, "No, I don't Father." The priest was surprised by his answer and said, "I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?" O'Toole said, "Oh, when I die, yes! I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."
Our scriptures offer us a straightforward message the smallest acts of love and kindness are essential to the Kingdom and Jesus wants us to live that way - it points the way to heaven.
In
today’s readings, “The cedar stands for the restoration of the Davidic
monarchy after the exile. .... The beasts and birds represent the nations of the earth.” [Sunday Web Site 6/16/2024
Ezekiel offers us this beautiful image, “I … will take from the crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, & plant it on a high & lofty mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it. It shall put forth branches & bear fruit & become a majestic cedar.” [Ibid.]
St. Paul reminds us, “… we walk by faith ….” In the Gospel Mark uses the Sower as a metaphor for Christ the Word, the Seed of God. Our small acts of kindness and love will help others, even though we may never see it happen. The keys to God’s Kingdom are: prepare the soil, plant the seed, wait for the harvest and then share the harvest. The reign of God is matter of faith, hope, and love, & the kingdom’s growth cannot be measure in isolated moments. “Life is slow & subtle. Love takes time to show & grow. In life, little acts count…. Children grow before our eyes. But they age imperceptibly. We recognize growth only after it has happened. The full truth of the child is seen after the child is child no more.” [Ibid., The Word, John Kavanaugh]
Today we as a culture remember and honor our fathers; we should do that but we should, also, spend some time with Abba, Our Father Who Art in Heaven … Who is with us each step of our journey.
Our Gospel asks us to embrace the faith of boring, of the simple offering of our small acts of kindnesses and love, unheralded - but offered to someone as offered to God.
For a few minutes, now, thank God for your father & thank God – The Father for your life.
May God Be Praised.
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